


Ever After

by TinyBat



Series: Calliope and Euterpe [2]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Christmas fic, F/M, accidental true love, because belligerent sexual tension can only go on so long, big damn kiss
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-12-03
Updated: 2013-01-06
Packaged: 2017-11-20 04:37:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/581377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TinyBat/pseuds/TinyBat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Storybrooke does Christmas and Jefferson finally gets around to asking Emma to take a chance on him. Dancing around the obvious can only go on so long, and Belle and Ruby are sick of watching the show, they want the finale.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ever After

**Author's Note:**

> I love these two even with their complete lack of screentime 
> 
> Ever After- Marianas Trench
> 
> Don't you move  
> Can't you stay where you are, just for now   
> I could be your perfect disaster   
> You could be my ever after  
> You could be my ever after, after all   
> I could be your perfect disaster  
> You could be my ever after

It was freezing cold in the way only a New England December could be, and Storybrooke, Maine was doing Christmas up right. Emma had given a lot of thought to the strangeness of fairy tale characters celebrating Christmas but they had memories of being normal people too, they decided to honor those memories with the major holidays. Charming led a crew into the forest to find the biggest, fullest, greenest tree to put in the town center. Grumpy was in charge of lighting, assisted by Nova and The Blue Fairy. Snow had been roped into organizing festivities with Belle and Ruby. They'd begged Emma to join them but she balked at the last minute and made an excuse about parade routes. She wanted no part in what they were planning, the three of them together was a frightening experience in a distinctly estrogen and alpha dominance filled way. They all had ideas and visions in their heads of how things should look; Emma saw early on that she'd be the unwilling judge of said notions and opted to play the impartial sheriff card. Granny was supervising food, Rumplestiltskin was helping which astounded everyone but Belle, apparently he was an excellent baker and more than a little intimidated by the older woman. 

All the planning, building, electrical disasters, and last minute magical tree enhancements had been done in the week before last week. On Christmas Eve there'd be a massive festival of lights in the town square with refreshments in the meeting house. Henry had begged Regina to see what she could do about getting it to snow, but she had assured him that it would probably snow anyway without any assistance from her. Regina had been helpful too but in a quieter way, just making sure things went according to plan. Henry was a positive influence, no matter how much Emma disliked sharing custody of him.

Emma was finding a lot of things to dislike about Christmas, they were all sort of boyfriend related. It wasn't until she said she was considering maybe skipping out early to participate in her annual tradition of drinking heavily and popping in Love Actually that Ruby and Belle dragged her aside at Granny's and gave her the third degree.

"Spill it Emma. You're the Grinch queen. Seriously, I think you're turning green and fuzzy. What are you avoiding?" inquired an annoyed Ruby. She hated being kept in the dark. Emma grumbled something unintelligible and Belle gave her a glare that would have made Snow proud.

"Pardon? What was that? I think that was your fear of intimacy fighting it's way out." Damn, this is what Emma got for having smart friends. Emma Swan wasn't big on people knowing about her personal life but Belle knew everyone and everything, she was scarily like her fiancee that way. She knew exactly what Emma was avoiding and was going to make her admit it.

"Something you want to share with the class Emma?" Ruby was smirking in the way that she did when Emma was about to make an embarrassing personal confession. It was saved just for her. Emma hated it.

"Fine, I don't do the mistletoe, merrymaking and alcohol thing. I'm usually alone on Christmas and very definitely interested male party free. I really don't want to keep dodging my Jefferson shaped problem. But he wants us to be an us! We're friends! Albeit really good friends with a scary amount in common but still friends. I can't do the dating thing, especially not around Christmas. It's the kind of nauseating cliche reserved for my parents. Happy now?" Emma slumped down in the nearest barstool and pulled her jacket in tighter around her, hoping in vain that it would block the staring eyes across from her.

"Yes, i'm happy now. Even if I disagree. You're perfect together, you know it, he definitely knows it, your kids know it, and the rest of the town keep binoculars with them for when you two are out and about so they know it too. What are you afraid of?" Belle was folding a paper napkin into a tiny square while listing the people that knew the personal things about Emma's personal life. She looked far too pleased.

"I'm not afraid, I just don't think we'd be a good idea. We kind of redefine damaged goods. If I had to pick someone, it'd be him but we're parents. Dating comes second to parenting. Regardless of how we feel." said Emma quietly, she swiped the napkin from the librarian and began shredding it into tiny pieces. Ruby took this as her cue to pipe up.

"Yeah, you two aren't strangers to how awful life can be but maybe that's why you're perfect. Emma, you don't see yourself with him. You smile, like really smile. The kind you see in movies. He makes you laugh, and he can get inside your head and fix you when we can't. He's always the first one at your side when something's wrong. So whatever reservations you have, let them go. He'll probably wait forever but you really should give it a shot." The wolf girl stopped and glanced at Emma's hands, they froze in the act of shredding the napkin. One more mess to clean up. " I know your parents set an absurd standard but you deserve happiness all your own. Even if it isn't a permanent thing."

"Maybe I don't want it to be temporary. I want him with me every moment of the day, I don't want to have to wait to see him, or make phone calls and crappy excuses to spend time with him. I don't need anyone but I want him. For all the ugly, wretched, nasty relationships i've had, I want this to be the one that works. I know we're perfect and that's exactly what scares me. We had an awful start but he made an impression and I never forgot that. He was the first person to ever say that I was special. He knew the parts of me I didn't even want to think existed. He was just as lonely, angry, and desperate as I was. Seeing that in someone else is a hell of an experience." Emma got up and stretched, she was glad Granny's was empty. The festival was tonight and everyone was getting ready. She paced along the booths to avoid the twin gazes of her friends.

"After Snow and I got back from the Forest, I didn't feel like I could talk to anyone about how much I needed to get back to Henry but him. I'd never felt such a driving need to see someone again, I would have done anything. Jefferson understood that. I didn't want to see him, but it happened anyway. We kind of happened from there I guess. I didn't think good parents existed until I met him, he may have been the craziest son of a bitch i'd ever met but when talked about Grace, and how much he needed her,how broken he was without her. I knew I didn't want to be alone anymore. I felt for the first time that I had a mother, and a father, that I wanted parents who would go above and beyond for their kid like he was. He did that for me. I pushed him away though. Just like i'm pushing him away now." Emma's voice was cracking and something hot and sharp filled her chest. She didn't like feeling so vulnerable, but if she was going to admit it, it'd be to these two first.

"He scares me, how I feel around him scares me. He just gets everything, he helps me understand what i'm thinking before I can really find words for it. I know i'm a whole person, i'm complete, but with him I feel like i'm who I should be. We're so screwed up, and broken, I don't know how we'd work but I want it so badly. It's intense enough now that I feel like i'll explode, what happens if I say yes to him? Will it be like that all the time? I want it and I don't know why I won't let myself have it." 

At some point in the middle of Emma's impromptu monologue, Belle had gotten to her feet and made her way over to her friends side. Emma had barely noticed, she was so occupied with puzzling out her feelings that there was a strong possibility a herd of reindeer could bust through the windows and she wouldn't have paid them any mind. Her face was flushed, her eyes stung, and she could feel her hands shaking. She hated feeling like this, she hated being in love. It was the only thing in the world that could build and destroy someones personal universe completely. She didn't want it just when things where finally okay. But that was probably why she should have it.

Belle squeezed her shoulder gently and handed her a fully intact napkin. "Go home Emma, rest up. I think you've got this figured out. You're coming tonight, and everything that happens happens. If you want, Ruby and I can try to run interference but who are we to spoil something epic. If we think you two have got it covered, we'll grab Henry and Grace and find something to do." Emma gave her a watery smile of acknowledgement. Ruby guided Emma out of the diner towards her car, she clearly didn't think Emma could manage without getting lost or running.

"You okay to drive? I don't mind taking you. I'll run back, it's been almost two weeks since i've really gotten to and i'm itching to go." 

Emma was still shaking and her head was full of warm smiles, quiet laughter, and conversations in close quarters. She definitely wasn't in driving shape."That'd be great actually. Freaking out took a little bit more out of me than I thought."

Ruby laughed softly and slid into the drivers seat of Emma's bug. "It'll do that to you. Why haven't you said anything to us before? It's not good to bottle all that up.?"

"I guess I just didn't really want to admit it. He was an epic mess, and I was too. Part of me is worried that things will go bad again if we get involved. I don't have a great track record with men, and he was apparently an irresponsible, womanizing, dandy before Grace was born. I think we've both been in love a grand total of once before this mess. Not exactly ideal."

"Dandy?"

"Victor's words not mine. Rumplestiltskin may have used the term uppity, over-entitled, pickpocket with questionable dress sense. Apparently they were friendly before he got married, widowed, and trapped at the mercy of Cora in Wonderland. Weird right? They sounded like a boy band from some of the stories, women flung themselves at them. But again, Victor's words not mine." Emma grinned at the thought, Jefferson's extensive wardrobe was just this side of unusual but he pulled it off with incredible and annoying ease and flair. Boy band indeed. She could buy it. Those intense eyes of his, Victor's accent, and Rumple's pants. She hated thinking about those pants, Belle never shut up about them.

Ruby pulled smoothly into the parking lot of Emma's building and shoo'ed her out of the car. "Go, nap! I'll call you in a few hours and see how you're doing." She then rushed Emma into her third floor apartment and slammed the door. "You'll thank us tonight! Christmas is a time for miracles!" the far too chipper voice called from down the hall. 

"Right, miracles. Sure..." Emma dropped onto her couch and stared at her ceiling. The only miracle she could conceive for tonight was getting Henry into bed before midnight so he could open presents at a reasonable hour in the morning before they headed over to see her parents. Napping was an excellent plan. A thoughts of her potential hatter boyfriend free nap. She had a big night ahead, and a second emotional upheaval was probably going to be forthcoming. Sleep would be key to not losing it completely.


End file.
